World War II Explosives, Torpedo Heads and Naval Mines: How Ocean Creatures Thrives on Discarded Weapons

In the brackish waters off the Germany's shoreline lies a wasteland of World War II explosives, torpedo heads and mines. Dumped from vessels at the conclusion of the World War II and neglected, numerous munitions have fused into clusters over the years. They create a decaying blanket on the shallow, muddy ocean floor of the Lübeck Bay in the western part of the Baltic.

Over the decades, the wartime weapons was ignored and forgotten about. A increasing amount of tourists traveled to the coastal areas and tranquil sea for jetskiing, kite surfing and entertainment venues. Underwater, the munitions eroded.

Researchers expected to see a barren area, with no life because it was all poisoned, says the lead researcher.

When the initial researchers went searching to see what they were affecting to the marine environment, researchers anticipated finding a barren area, with no organisms because it was all poisoned, says Andrey Vedenin.

What they found surprised them. Vedenin recounts his team members reacting with shock when the submersible first sent the images back. That moment was a great moment, he recalls.

Countless of ocean life had settled amid the explosives, creating a revitalized habitat more populous than the sea floor nearby.

This underwater metropolis was proof to the resilience of life. Truly remarkable how much marine organisms we find in places that are considered hazardous and harmful, he says.

In excess of 40 starfish had gathered on to one accessible fragment of explosive material. They were residing on iron containers, detonator compartments and storage boxes just a short distance from its explosive filling. Marine fish, crustaceans, anemones and bivalves were all observed on the discarded explosives. It's similar to a marine reef in terms of the amount of fauna that was present, says Vedenin.

Unexpected Population Density

An mean of more than 40,000 animals were residing on every meter squared of the explosives, scientists reported in their study on the discovery. The surrounding area was much sparser, with only 8,000 creatures on every meter squared.

It is paradoxical that things that are meant to eliminate everything are drawing so much life, states Vedenin. You can see how nature evolves after a catastrophic event such as the second world war and how, in certain respects, marine life returns to the most hazardous places.

Man-made Structures as Marine Habitats

Man-made features such as shipwrecks, offshore windfarms, oil rigs and pipelines can create alternatives, restoring some of the lost habitat. This study reveals that weapons could be comparably positive – the explosion of marine organisms on those in the Lübeck Bay is expected to be found elsewhere.

Between the late 1940s and 1948, 1.6 million tons of munitions were discarded off the German shoreline. Countless of workers loaded them in barges; some were dropped in designated locations, others just dumped while traveling. This is the first time scientists have documented how marine life has adapted.

Global Instances of Marine Adaptation

• In the US, decommissioned energy installations have become coral reefs
• Submerged vessels from the World War I have become homes for wildlife along the Potomac River in the state of Maryland
• Military vehicle parts that have become home to coral off Asan beach in the Pacific island

These places become even more crucial for organisms as the marine environments are increasingly depleted by commercial fishing, seafloor dredging and anchoring. Shipwrecks and explosive disposal locations practically act as refuges – they are not national parks, but almost any kind of anthropogenic disturbance is restricted, says Vedenin. Therefore a many of marine species that are usually scarce or decreasing, such as the Baltic cod, are prospering.

Future Considerations

Wherever armed conflict has taken place in the past 100 years, surrounding seas are often containing munitions, states Vedenin. Many millions of tonnes of dangerous substances rest in our oceans.

The positions of these explosives are insufficiently mapped, partially because of sovereign limits, secret armed forces records and the reality that records are hidden in historical records. They pose an detonation and safety danger, as well as threat from the ongoing emission of hazardous substances.

As the German government and other countries start clearing these artifacts, experts plan to preserve the habitats that have developed in their vicinity. In the Lübeck Bay weapons are currently being extracted.

It would be wise to replace these metal carcasses originating from weapons with certain less dangerous, some safe structures, like perhaps man-made habitats, says Vedenin.

He presently aspires that what happens in the Bay of Lübeck creates a model for replacing material after munitions removal elsewhere – because including the most destructive explosives can become foundation for ocean ecosystems.